Everything Else

How Many People Are Involved in Patient Care?

By / / 3 minutes of reading

Today when my preceptor was showing me a report for infection control, it made me realize just how many people are involved in the care of every patient that walks through the doors of a hospital. We know that as nurses on the that we can’t take care of our patients all by ourselves. We need the help of doctors, aids, other nurses, and other departments. What I don’t think most nurses think about is just how much goes on behind the scenes to make sure that the patient care a reality.

When a Nurse Says: I Don’t Care

By / / 3 minutes of reading

I don’t care. Those aren’t the words you want to hear coming from the mouth of a nurse. Now true, nurses are human, and there are things that we don’t care about, but the phrase itself, while on the job,  just sounds so …. unprofessional. As nurses, we encounter so many challenges every day. Often times we have to wait on other departments, facilities, or patients. If we are not waiting on something (a lab, a transporter, a phone call), we are rushing to do or …

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Life after NCLEX: How to Advance Nursing and Your Nursing Career

By / / 8 minutes of reading

5 Points of Consideration when taking the next step in nursing: Motivation, Education, Positive Attitude, Networking, and Integrity. Whether you are a fresh new graduate, or a nurse with years of experience, the future of nursing and your personal nursing career is in your hands. The ball, is in fact, in your court, do you shoot, pass, or let the timer run out? Do you stay current on the fundamentals of nursing? Motivation The first step to accomplishing any goal is having motivation. What motivates people …

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What a Nurse Does in Low Census: PRN opinions

By / / 2 minutes of reading

Nothing. Well not if she gets the privilege to work. If the privilege to work is granted, that you are to do so with no tech, a bigger patient load with higher acuity patients, and often are pulled to other departments. Being pulled to me is often a nice change of pace, so that I do not mind. What I do mind is being pulled and yet still having an understaffed department that is unfamiliar to you. I’ve been lucky in that the nurses are almost …

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Code Brown, not Nearly as Exciting, but Often More Enlightening than the Blue Variety

By / / 4 minutes of reading

How much poop can an old man poop if an old man hasn’t pooped in a week? A buttload. It was inevitable, don’t you think. I am after all, a floor nurse. Many of my patients have had bowel surgeries, or are attempting to avoid them. How long could I have possibly gone without writing at least one post about poop? In  my experiences as a nurse I have had the pleasure, and sometimes disappointment, of dealing with a wide range of characters. I have learned …

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The Hardest Shift I've Ever Had - A long, eventful, tearful, and stressful journey as a night nurse

The Hardest Shift I’ve Ever Had – A long, eventful, tearful, and stressful journey as a night nurse

By / / 4 minutes of reading

One of most terrible nights as a nurse was early in my career.

My patients were all high acuity patients. It was a night full tubes, drains, fall risks, confusion, decubitus ulcer, vascular wounds, PICC lines, central lines, shunts, stents, pacers, OG tubes, family conflicts, blood transfusions, fresh post-ops, spina bifida, and sadness. In addition to the loads of problems the fact that nearly all of my patients required constant attention and management made for a very busy, and emotionally trying evening.

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